A Federal High Court sitting in Jos on Wednesday adjourned the Certificate forgery case against one Ibrahim Baba-Hassan, member, representing Jos North/North Constituency in Plateau House of Assembly to October 20 for continuation of hearing.
The presiding Judge, Justice Musa Kurya, had to adjourn the case after the lead Defence Counsel, N.D. Gwaison, pleaded for an adjournment on the excuse of ill health.
“Since the lead defence counsel has complained of ill health, we should not continue so that we do not face a more difficult situation here as the issue of health is paramount to us all, ’’ the judge explained.
The judge who presided for over 5 hours adjourned the matter to October 20, for continuation of hearing of the case.
When the case came up for hearing, the Registrar of the University of Jos, Mr Monday Danjem, was ducked to give oral evidence in the case of certificate forgery against Baba-Hassan, APC member in the Plateau House of Assembly.
Baba-Hassan was said to have claimed that he obtained Diploma Certificate in Business Administration (Lower Credit) from the University of Jos sometime in 1996, which he used to contest for House of Assembly primaries of the Party in February last year. He, however, won the election.
But his challenger at the primaries, Abdul Saleh, challenged his eligibility to contest the primaries, alleging that he had forged the said Diploma certificate.
Salleh had prayed the court to disqualified Baba-Hassan and compel APC and INEC to declare him winner of the party’s primaries, having emerged second.
However, the University of Jos Registrar, who was subpoenaed to come to court to give oral evidence, swore to his statement on oath as a witness and denied knowledge of Hassan as graduate of the university.
Counsel to the Plaintiftf, Mr David Ibeawuchi, who called the registrar to the duck tendered some documents to the court, which were admitted despite several objections from Gwaison and APC Counsel, Mr L.D.Dafer.
The Registrar had told the Court that a letter from one A.S.Garba had requested the university to authenticate the Diploma certificate being held by Ibrahim Baba-Hassan, and that the reply was in the negative.
“The 1st defendant (Ibrahim Baba-Hassan) did not graduate from the university of Jos from our record owing to some failed courses.
“Therefore, the Diploma Certificate in Business Administration (Lower Credit) of the University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria dated November 25th, 1996, did not emanate from the University of Jos.
Danjem further averred that Hassan was offered admission in 1993, but he failed some courses as a result of which, he did not graduate and could not have been issued with any certificate.
According to him, as a result, the university came up with a notice, which was published on page 47 of Vanguard Newspaper of Friday May 27th, 2016 to put the general public on notice.
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